Seventy

***Ruby***

It happened too fast.

One second, I was adjusting the towel covering my wet body as I stared at the food that Adonis had made for me.
The next moment, glass shattered all over me and these hefty men dragged me out of the apartment, ignoring my cries.

It seemed like the building was empty as well. The people that heard my shouts were the security men who were mere in front of the tall, angry-looking men.

Looking down at my chest as the jeep raced some more towards the highway, I let out a sigh. I then noticed that one of the men seated beside me had his eyes glued on my body.

"Listen," I started talking, my eyes furiously eyeing the pervert beside me, "I did as you said, I have not made noise since you guys kidnapped me."

"We did not-"

"Get me some clothes, I feel like I am being eye-raped back here." The tone of my voice had been intentionally raised on the last statement, my head tilted slightly towards the man on my right as well.

The man seated beside the quiet driver let out a sigh. His hand rubbed over his bald head as he did some thinking. Within his mind's struggle, he looked at the back, and when I glared at him as hard as I could, he clicked his tongue and said,
"Hunter, get the dress out."
He faced me.
"You'll get dressed when we get to our destination."

"Who sent you?" I asked him before he could turn and face the front.

"Listen..." The little patience left in the man's eyes disappeared suddenly and he wore the look that could murder twenty people at once if he were an anime character.
"You are still alive because he asked us to keep you intact. We-"

"Is it Maximus Xylem?" I pushed my words anyway. "Or, is it Mark Lumber?"

The man's eyes narrowed. "Do you have a death wish?"

"It seems it is Mark Lumber," I muttered to myself.

A sudden grip of my chin shook me out of my false confidence. I felt a chill as the man moved closer and breathed heavily onto my face.
"If you want to make sure you don't lose a leg or an arm today, you had better keep quiet. This is no playground, things are about to get intense."

The warning in his thick voice as he carefully yet dangerously spoke did not escape me. And I did not push my luck any further.

The man on my left whose face wore a very intense frown, dropped a bag into my arms.

The rest of the ride stayed silent and filled with the scent of extreme danger.

As I sank into the seat some more, my mind went to Adonis who was likely to have reached the apartment.
As I wondered how he would find me, it occurred to me that the danger he has been trying to protect me from had finally made an entry.

The only different thing is the fact that my biological father is the reason I am in a jeep with dangerous-looking men, on our way to God knows where.

How do I know for sure that it is Mark Lumber?

I don't. It's just this feeling I have.

As I prayed that my family, my friends, and Adonis wouldn't get terribly hit by this change in the story of my life, I prayed that Adonis would find me on time so that I can be with everyone again without any need to look behind me every time with fear.

There was no need to make any more sound, so I saved my breath for my coming encounter with Mark Lumber.

Hopefully, the man is not as rotten as I think.
Hopefully, I can get out of this ugly situation and go back to my life.

~

As the men got off the car to give me my privacy so that I could put on the dress, I noticed that the building we were about to enter was familiar.

Once I was done putting on the simple floral gown which was flared at the end, I grabbed the slippers that came with it, opened the door, and got out of the car.
I was about to take a step when my legs felt instantly weak and I almost fell onto the ground.

As one of the men helped me up, one laughed heartily and said, "I guess the rumours about Adonis Klaus are true."

"Which one?" The man who gave me a warning asked.

"They say he fucks his women good and raw. He is like a crazy monster in bed. Did you see how helpless her legs were? They must have had a really good time."

I ignored their words- they were not true anyway. My Adonis was really, really gentle with me.

Soon, we were all approaching the building. It occurred to me then, that I was at Hotel Pierre. The place I called home for a while.

The leader flashed a card in the direction of the man at the security post and the men marched towards the side of the building, confusing me who thought we would be passing the main entrance.

I kept all questions to myself as we hurried towards another entrance which was at the other side of the building.
Soon, an elevator ride was initiated and I was cooped into the space with all four men intimidating the entire space with their mere presence.

I prayed for nothing more, I just wanted the door to open so I can get their combined manly scents out of my system.

My prayer was answered.

Things became more familiar as I stepped out of the elevator. Taking a quick look at the other elevators that merged at that point, I realized I was on the very floor that we lived in.

Everything was nearly the same. Even the door that opened to the luxurious apartment didn't change.

Was Mark Lumber in that place? I wondered.

I was about to find out. One of the men nudged me and the double door in front of me opened and the feeling of nostalgia befell me.

It was all the same.

My eyes fell on the very piano that my parents played night after night. It was still in the same position as well as the couches.
The beautiful sight which could be seen from the exposed big, rectangular windows was still intact and I couldn't help but smile.

Wait... I shouldn't be smiling at that moment, I should be figuring out how to get out of the situation I am in.

My eyes darted towards the staircase and I wondered if my room was still the same.

I scoffed at that thought. My Dad sold the place to another person. Definitely, the individual would have made some changes.

But...

I took another look at the entire space.

... I was yet to understand what I was doing there.

"You made it, Ruby."

I was right. He was the one.
I turned to face the man who was coming from the kitchen area. Mark Lumber had a homely smile on his face, obviously a fake one.

The man stopped his tracks as he ended up a few metres away from me. With his smile still intact, he spread his arms towards the room and asked, "You remember this place, don't you?"

"How are you in this place?"

"I bought this place."

I narrowed my eyes at him. I couldn't help but think that he was lying.

A loud bang as the door was closed interrupted my attempt to ask the man some more questions. With eyes filled with unjustified fury, the men walked into the living room and took positions in four different places, their arms folded, their faces looking as stern as they could be.

"You should have your seat," Mark Lumber spoke and I eyed him.

"What do you want from me?" I spat, my arms also folded. My face wore an angry look.

The man rubbed his chin, then his bald head before chuckling and saying, "You should sit down, we have a lot to talk about."

"I have told you. You are not my father and I am not your daughter. I am not going to be part of your dirty games."

"You are not trying to understand me, Ruby and that pains me. I am not trying to make you suffer. I am trying to give you a better life."

"Lies."

"I am not lying. I have waited so long for this moment." The man was a good actor, I would give him that. His pitiful eyes and remorseful voice could sway me.
"I have always wanted to call you my daughter and-"

"You said I am a key to getting something. It has to do with money, right?" I wasn't having any of his I-want-you-back speech.

"I-" One of my brows raised suspiciously and he sighed, knowing he had been caught.
"Yes. It has to do with money but more than money is involved."

"In that case, I am out of here." My feet barely took two steps. One of the men grabbed me and dragged me to the living room. His strong hands managed to make me stay still on the couch.

With my eyes burning with anger, I said to Mark Lumber, " Do you think you can do what you like to me?"

The man smirked. His shoes made knocking sounds against the tiles as he approached me. "Ruby..." The feel of his fingers irritated my being as he held my chin.
"I am your biological father, nobody will question me if I do what I think is best for me."

"Dominic Powers is my father!" I screamed into his face. "You are just a stupid coward who thinks he can use crooked means to get me."

He chuckled again. "Do you know how ugly it can get for Dominic if people find out that his first child belongs to another man?"
Mark Lumber's eyes searched mine as I wore a frown.
"He will be utterly destroyed. Especially when I release a statement about how Dominic Powers stole you, my daughter, from me. He separated a precious father from his daughter. He kept this daughter from the public eye because he used her for his dirty works. He-"

"Enough!" I snapped. I don't know what he was driving at, but the sentences he kept spewing were causing chaos inside me. I just wanted to get out of the tough hold I was in and tear his face with my nails.

"Are you angry?" It occurred to me that he was trying to get in my head.
Mark smiled and moved closer, his back bent a little. "Those words make you so angry, don't they? If I release that statement, you will hate what would happen to Dominic Powers, your *amazing* father."

I did not miss the mocking tone in his voice.

"What do you want?"

"Now you are talking!" he exclaimed. "Now you are thinking like a wise girl. All you have to do is simple."

I watched as he signaled to one of the men. A paper was handed over to Mark Lumber and after a quick and satisfactory look at its content, he pushed the item in my face.

"Sign this paper. Once you do, I'll have full custody of you and once that happens, both of us will leave this town quietly, without anyone knowing. Then, I will tell you everything and anything you need to know."

It sounded like a great idea for a second but I thought about it.
One, I don't know the kind of life waiting for me if I follow Mark Lumber. Something tells me that it would be an ugly life.

Two, I can never leave my family. No. I need to be with them.

"Don't think about it so much."
I stayed silent and he sighed.
"In that case, let me put my proposition in a more enticing way." He finally had his seat and he did so with some air of majesty around him.
"Apart from me, there are two people who are seriously after your life. They will stop at nothing to make sure you suffer."

I frowned.
I know about Bryan. Who could the other person be?

"You must be wondering who these people are." Two fingers rubbed against each other as his elbow rested on his right thigh. "You won't need to find out if you sign this paper. I will protect you from them and you will forget you ever had people who aim at ending your life."

"Who is the second person?"

"Sign the paper and I will protect you."

"No." Everything was wrong with his proposal. So many details were hidden. Things looked too suspicious. I just couldn't put my trust in him.

One of his brows lifted as his lips wore a sneer. "No?"

"No."

Mark Lumber got up instantly. "In that case, you are not very wise. You just earned yourself one more enemy."

"Well, I am glad to know that you are my enemy. It makes life easier and I see things clearer."

"How can you pass on such an opportunity?"

"What opportunity? Being your daughter? I'd rather be an orphan than be your child. You reek of filth and I absolutely do not want to be around you."

He scoffed. "You are going to regret this. Trust me, Ruby."

"We'll see about that, won't we?" My eyes dared him to make a move.

Unknown to me, he already did. I didn't feel the effect until seconds later.
The look of fury on my face relaxed and my body felt weak.

With my eyes feeling heavy, I looked in Mark's direction. My head swirled for a second and I closed my eyes to wade off the
feeling.

By the time I opened my eyes, the man had his face really close to mine. He was saying something but words sounded distant to me at that moment.

I felt weaker and weaker. I felt like I was about to go to sleep for a very long time.

Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe when I wake up, everything would be a dream.
I would wake up in Adonis's hands and go back to my parent's house after a few hours.

I would go to school on Monday and resume a busy week while making smiley faces at my sexy teacher while we try not to get caught.

I felt my lips curl up as my thoughts delighted.

Oh, how great it would be!

If only it would all be a dream.

If only I would wake up to Adonis's smiling face.

If only...